UK & NZ Working Holiday Visas Upgraded from June 2023

The UK and New Zealand governments have announced that improvements to the reciprocal working holiday visa program between the two countries will come into effect from 29 June 2023.

From this date, the age limit for New Zealand citizens to apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme (working holiday) visa in the UK will increase from 30 to 35. The visa will also become valid for a total of 3 years, instead of the current 2 years. And New Zealanders will no longer face restrictions on the amount of time they can work in the UK with a Youth Mobility Scheme visa.

These changes also apply in the other direction, with New Zealand extending the same benefits to UK citizens as part of the reciprocal agreement.

NZ-UK visa changes implemented earlier than expected

These changes to the working holiday visa agreement between the UK and New Zealand were negotiated last year as part of a Free Trade Agreement.

At the time, the New Zealand government said the changes would be implemented by the end of 2024. So, the 29 June 2023 start date is earlier than expected.

It’s quite possible that New Zealand was keen to expedite these changes due to that country’s current labour shortage.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister pointed out that the early implementation of this change will mean UK working holiday makers already in the country will now be able to stay longer. That’s clearly in New Zealand’s interest.

“Securing an implementation date for this new scheme sooner than expected means those who are already in country will now be eligible to remain here longer, adding to the pool of labour available to businesses,” NZ Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said.

“The 4,200 visa holders from the UK currently in New Zealand will now be able to extend their right to remain and work here for at least a year longer.”

Similar changes coming for Australia-UK working holiday visas

Australia and the UK also announced similar changes to their reciprocal working holiday visa agreement as part of their own Free Trade Agreement. This agreement was announced in 2021 and signed in 2022.

The Australian parliament passed the A-UKFTA (Free Trade Agreement) legislation on 22 November 2022. But the UK government has not yet passed this on its end, meaning the agreement is not yet in force.

At this stage, the Australian and UK governments have still not yet announced a start date for the improvements to the Australia-UK working holiday visa arrangements.

All we know for certain at this stage is that the visa changes must be implemented within 2 years of the Free Trade Agreement officially coming into force. But the Australian government has indicated that this would likely take effect within 30 days of this.

Since New Zealand has already negotiated a start date for the changes to their working holiday agreement with the UK, you’d have to imagine Australia isn’t too far off. But that’s not a given.

What the changes to the Australia-UK working holiday agreement will mean

Once the improvements to the UK Youth Mobility Scheme for Australians finally take effect, we expect that:

The age limit for Australians to apply for a UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa will increase from 30 to 35 (inclusive)
The visa will become valid for 3 years (currently 2 years)

We don’t yet know for sure how these changes will impact Australians who’ve already held a UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa. But the Australian government has indicated that UK citizens who’ve already stayed 1 or 2 years in Australia will be able to apply for another visa for an additional year at any time until their 36th birthday.

Hopefully, Australians who’ve already applied for a 2-year UK visa will also be able to apply for a third year after this change takes effect.

Under the new arrangement between New Zealand and the UK, Kiwis who are already in the UK on a Youth Mobility Scheme visa can apply to extend their 2-year visa for an additional year from 29 June 2023.

From this time, the New Zealand government will also re-introduce a cap on the number of working holiday visas it issues to UK citizens per year. But there’s no indication that Australia would do the same, and New Zealand’s new cap is much higher than the current number of visas that it issues anyway.

We’ll continue providing updates, so keep an eye on Working Holidays for Aussies in the meantime! To stay informed, you can also sign up for our newsletter.